It’s that time of year when we all get a bit frantic with planning, shopping and more planning to try and coordinate everything with everybody.Well, things are no different around here! We have our Open Air Open Studio sale and then the Fairfax Craft Faire lined up back to back.I’ve been building and glazing like a crazy elf, but this girl can only fire her kiln twice a week! If you’d like an early start to your shopping plans and first choice of all our new work, stop by this weekend and enjoy a little calm[…]
Taking and Giving
It’s November, Thanksgiving is coming soon and it’s the time of year when our thoughts often turn to gratitude. There are many things for which I’m grateful and chief among them is this earth.We humans ask a lot and take a lot, and this earth keeps giving up what we need. As a ceramicist, I take my materials directly from the earth—clay, glazing minerals and even fuel to burn it all up and transform it into something beautiful. The things I make might last a thousand years but they will eventually break and erode back to[…]
A Day in my Ceramic Life
There are many hats you have to wear when you’re living the artist’s life and like any job, there are many parts to it. I often make a list to help me keep on top of what needs doing and how soon. As I was making the one for this week, I decided to make one of everything that goes into running my ceramics life. Wow! It was longer than I expected! When you tell people you make ceramics for a living, that is exactly what they imagine–making ceramics. They also briefly imagine that it might[…]
Hurry Burry Spoils the Curry
We all have 24 hours in the day and yet, we never seems to have enough time. I’ve just finished one class session and am about to start another. In organizing it, I realized it will be the final one this year! Ack!! The end of the year is in sight and seems to be careening towards us at 100 miles an hour!There’s so much to fit in. I’m still at the Fairfax Farmers’ Market on Wednesdays until the end of October, there’s a couple of orders to fill, and I’m trying to build up a[…]
If You’re Using Something…
A wonderful friend of ours gave me Master Class on my last birthday. It’s an online series of classes taught by well known people in so many different disciplines. It’s been very interesting. I thought I would study different business classes, learn about negotiation and presenting yourself. Well, during my recent brush with COVID, I had a lot of time at home and I watched some classes. Since I was having a stay-cation, I turned on the Alice Waters cooking class just for fun and it was so inspiring! Part way through her talk on the[…]
Thanks Community
Ah, the times we’re living in. I find myself squeezed between anger at the rising situations and disbelief in our society. And yet, we move forward, there is no stopping. Even with everything that’s going on I’m still a happy person overall. A big part of that has been finding solace and happiness in community, both the one I live in and the one I make in. Recently, we’ve had our annual summer festival for the first time in two years. As a vendor I was there for both days and it was great! It was[…]
It’s Summertime!
When I was growing up in Montana, summertime was intertwined with our huge veggie garden. First it was planting and the dreaded weeding, and then the excitement of everything growing and finally the reward of the first veggies. Were we live now, I can plant in April instead of early June so my garden is already growing like crazy and I love it! Besides the garden, our town festival signals the start of summer around here. Since my last class session just ended, I’m taking two weeks off to prepare for the Fairfax Festival. I’m making[…]
Throwin’ It Down
Thanks to my student Catherine, I’ve been watching The Great Pottery Throw Down lately. If you’re unfamiliar with this, it’s a British show very similar in format to The Great British Bake Off: an elimination contest of amateurs, judged by well known professionals with some sweet, understated, British charm thrown in. I use throwing for producing multiples of functional work, but generally it’s not the way I explore ideas and try new things. Confession time–watching this show is inspiring me and I feel like trying a bunch of the techniques and challenges that have been presented![…]